Highland Around Town - Feb. 21 edition

Noon Friday, Feb. 23, is the deadline to appear in next week’s “Around Town” listing. We must receive your event in writing with a contact phone number for questions. Submissions will be edited and appear in the week before the event date.

Send event info via email to lifestyle@bnd.com. Questions, call Jennifer Green at 618-239-2643.

Thursday, Feb. 22

▪ Robert Wadlow’s 106th Birthday — 4-9 p.m. The Old Bakery Beer Company, 400 Landmarks Blvd., Alton. Old Bakery Beer will release a brand new beer made in honor of Robert Wadlow’s birthday. Robert’s Rye is brewed with Illinois-grown rye and a maltier, spicier take on an IPA. Miss Jubilee will play Hot Jazz 6-8 p.m. oldbakerybeer.com

Thursday, Feb. 22 & Friday, Feb. 23

▪ Aviston American Legion Auxiliary Rummage Sale — 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday-Friday, Feb. 22-23, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 24. Aviston American Legion, 601 S. Clinton, Aviston. Saturday $4 brown bag sale. Bake sale on Thursday and Friday. Something for everyone!

Friday, Feb. 23

▪ Aviston Legion Fish Fry — 4:30-7 p.m. American Legion Post 1239, 601 S. Clinton, Aviston. Cod (baked or fried), catfish, shrimp, hush puppies, chicken strips, fries, baked potato, slaw, applesauce. Dine-in and carryout. 618-228-7311 or avistonlegion.com.

Saturday, Feb. 24

▪ Gallery Opening: ‘The First Show’ — 6-10 p.m. Fifteen Windows Gallery, 3155 Cherokee St., St. Louis. Music by DJ Chilly C sets the atmosphere for viewing eclectic art works by 24 artists. The show is curated by Bryan Walsh, a graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with a degree in fine arts and emphasis in graphic design. He is a graduate of Belleville West High School and the Gallery owner. https://bit.ly/3uJ400f

Sunday, Feb. 25

▪ MYSTIC: Vital Visionaries — 4-5:30 p.m. Schlafly Tap Room’s Club Room, 2100 Locust St., St. Louis. Legends, mystics, and visionaries lead us to unimagined spaces in this program for voice, strings, and harp. Legendary mystic from the 12th century, Hildegard von Bingen, gets a contemporary remix by Sarah Kirkland Snider. Sacred and profane sounds of the harp dance through the French Impressionist master Debussy’s touch. Haitian mythology comes to life in Zombie: Origin and Evolution for string quartet. Enjoy the later afternoon concert and stay for dinner in the restaurant downstairs. For tickets and info: https://bit.ly/3SNs75X

Wednesday, Feb. 28

▪ Fauré’s Requiem at the Cathedral Basilica — 8 p.m. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis, 4431 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis. Voices soar to the rafters of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in a program led by Music Director Stéphane Denève. Opera stars Brenda Rae and Davóne Tines join the St. Louis Symphony Chorus in Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, reflecting on eternal rest and consolation. Two tranquil pavanes by Fauré and Maurice Ravel invite introspection, accompanied by reverent selections by Charles Koechlin and Lili Boulanger. slso.org

Other area happenings

▪ McKendree University Students present ‘These Shining Lives’ — 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, March 1-2, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 3. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon. Based on the true story of Catherine Donohue and the women who painted watch faces for the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, Illinois, in the 1920s, “These Shining Lives” chronicles the strength and determination of women considered expendable in their day, exploring their true story and its continued resonance. thehett.com

▪ Edwardsville Arts Center Artini Cocktail Competition — 6-10 p.m. Saturday, March 2. The Ink House, 117 N. 2nd St., Edwardsville. Get ready to sip, savor, and spend a great night with friends as eight local restaurants curate one-of-a-kind cocktails inspired by their choice of famous artwork. Artini Defending Champion, Moussalli’s Prime, will compete this year against Blue Violet, Brick+Bramble, Cleveland Heath, Edley’s Bar-B-Que, Foundry Public House, Peel Wood Fired Pizza, and 1818 Chophouse. Prepare your taste buds for a creative journey as these talented participants stir, shake, and pour their way to artistic perfection. Tickets are $85 and can be purchased at edwardsvilleartscenter.com, and include cocktails from eight restaurants with specially curated appetizers. Proceeds from the event directly benefit EAC programming. Special thanks to Presenting Sponsor, Witness Distillery, for helping make this event possible.

▪ Tri-Township Library Spring Garden Series — 6:30 p.m. Thursdays in March. Tri-Township Library, 209 S. Main St., Troy. Topics include Culinary Herbs – March 7, Butterflies – March 14, Vegetables – March 21, and Birds – March 28. Reservations recommended; supplies limited. Contact the library at 618-667-2133.

▪ Leaps for Love: Clays for Childhood Cancer — 8:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9. Highland Pistol & Rifle Club, 13312 Bellm Road, Highland. This event for shooting enthusiasts includes drink tickets, cash prizes, a silent auction and much more. Pre-registration is required. For more info: facebook.com/events/1404185277110381

▪ 74th annual Belle-Scott Enlisted Dinner — 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 3. St. Clair Country Club, 100 S. 78th St., Belleville. Cash bar at 6 p.m.; dinner and program 6:30 p.m. The event is in honor of the men and women of Scott Air Force Base. Tickets: $125 - includes sponsoring dinner for attendees and one enlisted member; $50 for military members of the Belle-Scott Committee. Register by Thursday, March 22. 618-233-2015 or https://bit.ly/48op8GI

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HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland Named a Top Hospital for Nurse Communication

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland was recently named for being among the best in the country in an important area of patient satisfaction – nurse communication.

The hospital was recently highlighted by Becker’s Hospital Review, a leading source of information on critical issues in health care, in their list of the best hospitals for nurse communication in each state.

Based on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient survey data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Breese made the list of top hospitals nationwide for nurse communication. The nurse communication star rating combines data from three HCAHPS survey questions which summarizes how well patients feel that their nurses explained things clearly, listened carefully to the patient, and treated the patient with courtesy and respect.

Teresa Cornelius, DNP, RN, CENP, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital, shared, “These continued survey results demonstrate the relentless efforts of our nursing staff to always communicate with compassion and concern. Utilizing a rounding process for patients that includes team members from all disciplines – physicians, nurses and case management – to ensure that patients and families fully understand their plan of care and discharge instructions is just one example of this. This allows patients to receive consistent communication as well as an opportunity to ask questions so they can make the most informed decisions about their care,” she said.

For more information about HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland, visit stjosephshighland.org.

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Southern Illinois HSHS hospitals receive Healing Illinois grant

On Feb. 28 and 29, Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) will begin a virtual speaker series entitled “I Have a Dream…” to reflect on revealing and embodying racial healing for all people, thanks to a Healing Illinois grant.

Healing Illinois is an initiative led by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and the Field Foundation of Illinois. Statewide, 184 recipients will receive $4.5 million in funding for community-based activities to advance racial healing. In Southern Illinois, this grant is awarded by the Southern Illinois Community Foundation.

“At the heart of the HSHS Mission is Christ’s healing love for all people. We seek to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love in each encounter we have with patients, family members, colleagues, and community members,” said Angela Senander, HSHS system director of formation. “We look forward to the opportunity to be in dialogue with scholars and practitioners advocating for racial justice in our communities and health care organizations.”

The HSHS hospitals in Southern Illinois will foster community conversations about racial healing with grant funds from Healing Illinois. St. Joseph’s Hospital Breese and its HSHS affiliated hospitals, including HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland, HSHS Holy Family Hospital in Greenville and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, will work together to foster this dialogue in Southern Illinois.

This dialogue will begin during Black History Month and continue monthly through June, as we approach Juneteenth. On Feb. 28, Maria Teresa Davila, Ph.D., chair and associate professor at Merrimack College, will give a presentation entitled, “I Have a Dream of Racial Justice for All.” On Feb. 29, Elaine Hardy, Ed.D., RN, dean and professor at St. John’s College of Nursing will present, “I Have a Dream of Overcoming Racial Disparities in Health Care.”

All events are virtual, free of charge and open to the public. More information can be found at stjoebreese.com/events.

For more information about HSHS, visit hshs.org.